Perfect Presents Can Come at a Cost
by hmweasley
Summary: When Ron takes the kids shopping for Hermione's birthday present, he expects it to be an easy trip. He isn't expecting to run into Padma Patil or for her to sell him his wife's birthday present while revealing more about the past than he would have liked his kids to know.


"Oh!" Hugo exclaimed, hurrying towards a shop window to press his face against the glass.

Various kinds of pottery were being displayed. Much of it was in various neutral shades while a few pieces with vibrant colours stood out amongst the rest. Hugo's eyes were wide as he took it all in, from the sets of cups that looked practical to the large vases purely for decorative use.

Rose stayed by Ron's side as they followed the excitable boy to the window display.

"Look!" Hugo exclaimed once they had caught up to him. He pointed his finger at a terracotta vase that hadn't been painted. "We could get one of these for Mum."

Ron sighed, scratching at his chin as he looked over the display. They'd been searching for Hermione's birthday gift the entire morning, and so far, they hadn't found anything. If two of them agreed on something, the third was against it for one reason or another. Ron was close to giving up, sending the kids home, and coming back to get something by himself.

"We might as well," he said with a sigh. He leaned back to look at the sign above the shop. "I don't remember this place being here."

"Because you shop for pottery, Dad," Rose said with a roll of her eyes. "This shop's probably been here for a hundred years."

Ron narrowed his eyes before cracking a smile and ruffling her hair, making Rose duck away and hold her arms above her head. If it had been anyone but one of his children who'd made the comment, he would have pointed out that the coat of paint on the sign looked far too recent for it to have been a hundred years.

Hugo didn't pay them any attention as he hurried into the store, giving them no choice but to follow him.

Inside, every type of pottery imaginable lined the shelves. No matter what style someone desired, they could have found it. Hugo was drawn the the blue and white pottery that took up an entire wall. Ron followed him, glancing around with disinterest at most of it. He didn't have an eye for pottery. Though he could see the differences in colour and shape, he had no idea what was most appealing to him, let alone to his wife.

He craned his neck to keep an eye on Rose, who had disappeared to a different part of the store, but she was gone from sight, a trick she pulled far too often. Ron kept intending to give her a serious talk about it, but it slipped his mind whenever he had time for it.

"Do you like that one?" the shopkeeper asked Hugo, appearing from a doorway off the counter and startling Ron.

He froze as he looked at the face of Padma Patil. It had been years since he'd seen her, and she didn't look like she'd aged in that span of time. She didn't spare him a glance as she grinned at Hugo.

"Blue and white pottery is some of the most popular in the world," she said, bending down to put herself at Hugo's eye level. "You've made a good choice."

"It's my mum's birthday in a couple weeks," Hugo said brightly. "We're buying her a present."

Padma hummed in acknowledgement, standing up and finally looking at Ron. She didn't properly greet him before she began her sales pitch.

"I have many different products that work excellently for presents. From what I know about Hermione, she's a practical woman. You might want one of our durable pieces that she can actually use instead of something decorative."

Ron was about to say that sounded like a good idea when Rose appeared from out of nowhere around a shelf, her eyes narrowed.

"You know my mum?" she asked.

Ron sighed, shifting his weight to his other foot. He looked towards the ceiling as Padma laughed.

"I went to Hogwarts with your parents. I was in Ravenclaw, but my sister Parvati shared a dormitory with Hermione." She looked at Ron, her smile growing scary. "And Ron and I went to the Yule Ball together in our fourth year."

Ron closed his eyes briefly as both kids gasped.

"Really?" Hugo asked, coming closer to Padma as if he suddenly trusted her in a way he hadn't before.

"Really," Padma confirmed. "To tell you the truth, it was a terrible time. I was angry at your dad for years after that."

"What do you mean?" Rose asked, crossing her arms against her chest. She had't warmed up to Padma in the way Hugo had. "Why would you be angry with Dad?"

"How could Dad date anyone but Mum?" Hugo asked before anyone could answer Rose.

His wide eyes might have made someone think that he'd just been told Santa Claus wasn't real for the first time, not that his dad had once gone on one bad date.

"I was fourteen!" Ron exclaimed. "Your mum and I weren't even together."

Padma turned to pick up a bowl and hide her smirk.

"Do you think Hermione would like this?" she asked as she turned back around.

* * *

Neither Hugo nor Rose said a word to Hermione for the next two weeks, and Ron almost forgot where their birthday present from Hermione had come from as they day grew closer for her to receive it.

On the evening of Hermione's birthday, they gathered at the Burrow for dinner with the entire family. It was as loud and boisterous of an affair as one could expect when all of the Weasleys got together, with a dull roar filling the Burrow and never quite going away.

Ron was content to eat his mum's cooking and, afterward, watch his wife open her presents. The kids made her save theirs for last because they swore it would be the best, and when the time finally came, Ron smiled with pride as Hermione read out loud the messages the kids had written her.

It was going perfectly until Hermione unwrapped the bowl they'd purchased from Padma.

"Mum, Mum!" Hugo exclaimed, tugging on Hermione's shirt sleeve with barely contained glee before scrambling onto her lap. "The lady with the bowl danced with Dad!"

Hermione's brow furrowed as she turned to Ron in confusion.

"Padma owns a pottery shop now?" he responded, his voice lilting upwards on accident.

Hermione's mouth formed an 'O' as understanding dawned on her.

"They only went to one dance together, Hugo," Hermione said slowly, rubbing Hugo's back. "That's really not a big deal."

"Jealous, Mum?" Rose asked with a smirk.

"No," Hermione said, though Rose laughed as if she didn't believe her. "I did go to that dance with a famous Quidditch player after all."

All of the Weasley grandchildren gasped as one, making their parents all snigger. Ron glared around at the family, particularly the members who didn't see the need to hide their laughter behind their hands.

"Whatever," Ron muttered, crossing his arms. He focused his gaze on a spot on the wall above everyone's heads. "Krum was never all that great of a Quidditch player.

"Sorry, Ron, but he was a fantastic Quidditch player," George said, laughter colouring his voice. He leaned forward to capture Hugo and Rose's attention. "You should have seen the World Cup the year Krum played on the Bulgarian team. Bulgaria lost to Ireland, but Krum managed to catch the snitch and save them from complete embarrassment. He was an ace player. It's a shame he retired after that game. If he hadn't, I'm sure you lot would know his name. He'd be one of the biggest players in the world."

Rose and Hugo gave the appropriate gasps during George's story as Ron's posture grew stiffer. Hermione leaned over to him with a slight giggle and kissed him on the cheek.

"But the Yule Ball was a long time ago," she said quietly, "and he was never all that great."

Ron gave a short nod in response and turned to look at her, his face softening instantly as he smiled. Hermione kissed him one last time before she turned back to her bowl to declare that she loved it.

* * *

 **Prompts:**

 **Hogwarts Challenges and Assignments**

Seasonal Challenge - Audrey's Dessert Challenge: cake 3 - write about a birthday

Advent Calendar: (family) Weasleys

Seasonal Challenge - Ravenclaw Themed Prompts: Padma Patil

Word count: 1,366


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